Bill Text: IL HR0945 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates Barbara Thomas on her retirement as an educator.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2012-04-19 - Resolution Adopted [HR0945 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2011-HR0945-Introduced.html

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HR0945 LRB097 21140 KXB 68585 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are pleased to congratulate Barbara Thomas on
the occasion of her retirement on June 1, 2012, after 25 years
of service as a distinguished Illinois educator; and
WHEREAS, She was greatly influenced by her mother, Mary
Woodroffe, who raised 4 children in Lake in the Hills and later
worked at Quaker Oats; she is currently retired and enjoying
life at Clare Oaks Retirement Community in Bartlett; and
WHEREAS, She was also greatly influenced by her father,
Basil Woodroffe, who served as a Marine in World War II in the
South Pacific; he later was a Manager at Fox Electric Supply in
Elgin and Aurora; he passed away in April of 1982; and
WHEREAS, She graduated from Marian Central Catholic High
School in Woodstock in 1968; she received her degree in
Elementary Education at Northern Illinois University in 1972,
where she met her husband, Randel Thomas; they were married
August 19, 1972; and
WHEREAS, In 1973, she was hired as a fifth grade teacher at
Neil Armstrong Elementary School in Schaumburg District 54; she
taught for 6 years before leaving to raise her children; and

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WHEREAS, In 1979, she gave birth to her daughter, Tricia
Jeanne Klein (Thomas); in 1982, she gave birth to her son,
Jeffrey Basil Thomas; while raising her children, she was a
substitute teacher at their elementary school, Steeple Run, in
Naperville; and
WHEREAS, In 1993, she received her Masters degree from
Northern Illinois University; she then returned to full-time
teaching as a seventh-grade teacher in 1993 at Notre Dame
Catholic School in Clarendon Hills, where she taught for 2
years; in 1995, she began teaching at Brookdale Elementary in
Indian Prairie School District 204, where she taught fourth and
fifth grade; in 2009, she transferred to Graham Elementary
School in Indian Prairie School District 204; and
WHEREAS, She has influenced hundreds of young students by
instilling a passion and love for learning; she has mentored
colleagues by providing guidance for teachers new to the
profession through collaboration; and she served as an Indian
Prairie Union Representative for several years; and
WHEREAS, She has made major contributions to the field of
education by pioneering researched-based methods; approaching
her work with enthusiasm and honest reflection; and above all,
identifying and recognizing that each student has a unique way

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of learning, including those with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, She has made major contributions to the community,
serving as a volunteer at Naperville North High School in
Naperville, St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville; the Girl
Scouts of America, Indian Prairie School District 204, and
Steeple Run Subdivision as President and Secretary of the
Community Council; and
WHEREAS, She plans to spend her retirement doing activities
at her own leisure at her home in Naperville, including
spending time with her family, most notably her grandson,
Justin Thomas Klein, traveling with her husband, substitute
teaching, enjoying quality time with lifelong friends, most
notably, the Biddies and the Fake Family, with whom she has
been friends for over 40 years, and enjoying quiet reading and
a cup of coffee in the morning; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we congratulate Barbara Thomas on her retirement as an educator
and wish her the best in all her future endeavors; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Barbara Thomas as a symbol of our respect and

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esteem.